After capitalizing on Tom Hartley’s inexperience on Day 1, Yashasvi Jaiswal signaled his intent to prolong the onslaught early on, striking a boundary off part-timer Joe Root on the third ball of the day.
Nevertheless, the veteran had the last laugh, securing a sharp return catch two balls later, dismissing the opener for 80. Despite this setback, Shubman Gill remained steadfast, while KL Rahul assumed the role of the aggressor, hitting three boundaries early on.
Undeterred, Rahul responded by striking three boundaries off Rehan Ahmed in the following over, reaching his 14th Test half-century shortly before Lunch with the equality just 24 runs away.
Shreyas Iyer, having picked up the pace after a slow start, fell while attempting a slog in the third over after the resumption, bringing Ravindra Jadeja to the crease. Meanwhile, Rahul, closing in on a century, fell short by 14 runs, mistiming a massive heave off a Rehan half-tracker.
Nonetheless, the new partnership of Srikar Bharat and Jadeja continued frustrating the opposition, establishing the sixth consecutive 35-plus partnership in the innings. Jadeja reached his fifty in the process, while Bharat was eventually trapped LBW for 41.
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Ravichandran Ashwin, in an unusual turn for the English, lasted just 11 deliveries, falling victim to a comprehensive run-out. The left-handed duo of Axar Patel and Jadeja safely guided India to stumps, with Axar concluding the day with a flourish—4, 6, 4—taking his score to 35 and extending India’s lead to 175.